Two South Coast artists, Anis Beigzadeh and Dena Haden, have created a new exhibition at Longbarn Gallery in Westport, Massachusetts, as part of the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership’s (SEMAP) Artist/Farmer Residency program. Beigzadeh, a UMass Dartmouth MFA ceramics student from Iran, drew inspiration from her work at Freedom Food Farm in Raynham, creating ceramic bowls and inscribed stones suspended by threads. Haden, a New Bedford-based installation and fiber artist, paired with Apapacho Bloom Farm in Seekonk, producing a painting using dye from pokeweed plants. The exhibition opened June 4 and will be on view by appointment through the end of June, with a public open house on June 20.
This exhibition matters because it highlights the growing intersection of art and agriculture, emphasizing how both fields involve process, story, and essential human connection. By placing artists directly on farms, the residency program fosters cross-disciplinary dialogue and community engagement, celebrating local food systems and creative expression. The work also explores themes of freedom, resilience, and belonging, particularly through Beigzadeh’s personal connection to the farm’s name and her use of multilingual inscriptions.